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Life history of Juniperus sabina L. adapted to the sand shifting environment in the Mu Us Sandy Land, China: A review

Landscape and Ecological Engineering volume 17, pages 281–294 (2021)Cite this article

Abstract

We have reviewed publications on the physiological and ecological features of the growth and regeneration processes of Juniperus sabina L. which grows in semiarid sandy land in the Ordos plateau in northern China where desertification has progressed over time. J. sabina is a key native plant species used for ecological restoration in this region. The life history of J. sabina in this sandy land that has been revealed through this review includes several unique features: (1) both vegetative and seed propagations are observed, but seed propagation is not successful in the location where the mature J. sabina stands. Instead, seed propagation can occur at a different place with different landscapes from the mature stands. (2) Nurse plants play an important role in providing the microclimatic environment necessary for the growth of J. sabina seedlings and young plants. (3) During the horizontal and vertical growth processes of the J. sabina patch, the root system was affected by burial in shifting sand and consequently acquired greater access to the water supply in deeper soil horizons, which could support larger growth. These characteristics suggested that the regeneration by seed propagation and growth strategy of J. sabina in this region was strongly affected by sand movement and the landscape that is generated by sand movement.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology for Science Research (11660140, 17405001, 23405027).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Informatics, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Nobuhito Ohte

  2. Department of Environmental Ecology, Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan

    Naoko H. Miki, Lingli Yang, Muneto Hirobe, Yoshiaki Ishii, Keiji Sakamoto & Ken Yoshikawa

  3. Department of Environmental Science and Technology, Graduate School of Bioresources, Mie University, Tsu, 514-8507, Japan

    Naoko Matsuo

  4. Division of Environmental Conservation, Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, Tottori, 680-0001, Japan

    Norikazu Yamanaka

  5. Graduate School of Agriculture, Shinsyu University, Nagano, 399-4598, Japan

    Ayumi Tanaka-Oda

  6. Faculty of Fiber Science and Engineering, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, 606-8585, Japan

    Michiko Shimizu

  7. College of Forestry, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010019, Inner Mongolia, China

    Guosheng Zhang & Linhe Wang

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  1. Nobuhito Ohte
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Ohte, N., Miki, N.H., Matsuo, N. et al. Life history of Juniperus sabina L. adapted to the sand shifting environment in the Mu Us Sandy Land, China: A review. Landscape Ecol Eng 17, 281–294 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-021-00453-y

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Keywords

  • Mu Us Sandy Land
  • Regeneration dynamics
  • Moving dune environment
  • Nurse plant